Masked Gunmen Rob Couple of $110,000 in Cash and Jewelry

LYNDA NATALI

Two masked gunmen broke into the home of an elderly couple early Friday and stole about $75,000 in cash and $35,000 worth of jewelry, leaving the victims bound and gagged with bedsheets.

The couple, both natives of Ecuador, freed themselves and called police shortly after the assailants left, at about 4 a.m. Friday, about two hours after the gunmen had entered the house. Neither was seriously injured, although both suffered cuts and bruises.

"We were waiting for a (gun) shot or something," said the man, 70, who asked that he and his wife not be identified. "We never thought anything like this was possible."

"We won't be able to sleep tonight," said the woman, 60.

Police said the couple operated two accounting businesses, one in Norwalk and one in Los Angeles, and they believe the gunmen had stalked them.

La Habra Police Lt. Joe Milazzo said the large amount of cash at the home was from their business offices and was supposed to be deposited in a bank on Friday.

The couple was asleep at about 2 a.m. when the men, wearing ski masks and dark clothes, broke into the three-story home through a first-floor bedroom window, said Police Lt. John Buchholz. The assailants, armed with handguns and knives, tied and gagged the couple with bedsheets and then ransacked their bedroom.

"This is an isolated incident," Buchholz said. He described the suspects only as male Latinos with medium builds.

Residents in the upscale neighborhood were shocked.

"It's a real quiet neighborhood," said one neighbor, who asked not to be identified. The cul-de-sac near Lambert Road and Beach Boulevard has neatly landscaped, large two- and three-story homes.